Dear ,

‘There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them.’ – Andre Gide

October is a perfect time to settle in with a spooky novel and some mini-candy bars. Many people like feeling scared, at least within the pages of a book or while watching a movie, but in real life we tend to avoid scary situations. As writers we have our own fears. Are we “good enough” storytellers? Will readers like our books? Do we have the creativity needed to sort out a tricky plot problem?

There can be the temptation to hide under the covers when we’re frightened. The problem is that the more we avoid something that scares us, the more our fear increases. This is when a creative community can come in handy, having someone to hold your hand as you face down what frightens you. We promise- the more you face those monsters the smaller they become.

If you want some support in facing those creative fears- no problem! 

Workshop Wednesdays

October 1: What Scares Your Character? with Eileen.  Your character is often having to face the thing they fear the most over the course of your story. It might be zombies or risking their lives to blow up the Death Star, or it could be facing down the fear of being vulnerable enough to love. Let’s discuss the role of fear and how you can use that to raise the stakes and tension in your book.  

October 8: Craft deep dive with Jenny: Want to dig into this month’s topic in more detail? Here’s your chance! Come and discuss how tension and fear can be harnessed in your manuscript. 

October 15: Mind Mapping with Jacqui: Ready to harness the collection brain of the community to take your writing to the next level? Come and brainstorm plot problems, prompts, or character issues. 

October 22: Social time with Jacqui: Here's your chance to pull up a Zoom bar stool and have a chat with other writers. Come and share how your project is going, what you're reading, any new shows you're in love with or anything at all. 

Volunteer Needed:

The Motivation and Accountability group that meets Tuesday evenings needs a new moderator. Huge thanks to Janee who has been fearlessly leading this group and is ready for a much deserved break. If you’d like to step up let us know. Responsibilities include posting the event, opening the Zoom room for sessions, and ensuring that people in the group adhere to TCA codes of conduct. 

Events:

FORUMS/GENRE MEET-UPS/ ACCOUNTABILITY GROUPS: Be sure to check the events schedule for the regular genre meet-ups and weekly accountability groups. You can join those communities (they’re all listed down the left side of the main page) so that  you’re notified when events are happening. 

Here’s to facing our fears and binging on mini-candy this month. 

xo

Eileen and Stephanie